Duckworth, Durbin announce $2 million for West Frankfort Mall

U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin last week announced a $2 million grant to help the city of West Frankfort repurpose the West Frankfort Mall to serve growing industries.

The funding for this projection, which is estimated to create 218 jobs and generate $1.5 million in private investment, comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA).

"This investment will strengthen West Frankfort's efforts to attract and grow local small businesses by making critical infrastructure improvements to the mall's parking lot, heating and cooling systems and surrounding roadways," Duckworth said. "I'm committed to working to help secure federal funding that allows local communities and business leaders to access the resources they need to create jobs and drive economic development across our state."

"The repurposing of the West Frankfort Mall represents an opportunity for economic growth and more good-paying jobs in the region," Durbin said. "I will continue advocating for federal funding to support Illinois' development and growing industries."

Specifically, the project will help to improve parking lots, install a new HVAC unit, ensure entryway safety and security, and build better roadways surrounding the building. This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission. EDA funds the Greater Egypt Regional Planning and Development Commission to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.